Chapter 43 A Promise

Xu Jingming walked out of the small building and found an empty spot on the nearby grass to sit down.

Soon a waiter came over, and Xu Jingming ordered some drinks.

"Asking someone to help exchange usually comes with a 50% premium, and a 100% premium is considered very high. This Yin Xiao is even asking for cosmic coins… he's really trying to fleece me." Xu Jingming took a sip of his wine.

Because he was too much of a genius, most Origin Lifeforms were very polite to Xu Jingming.

But Xu Jingming knew very well!

Not everyone would give him face.

Like Yin Xiao, who was among the top few terrifying existences in the Eternal Academy's tenth-order Origin Lifeforms. Looking at the entire human race of the universe, he was on the level just below cosmic legends.

Even when facing cosmic legends from other factions, this kind of person had his pride.

After all, in most people's eyes, my limit in this lifetime is probably a cosmic legend, and the probability of becoming a Supreme existence is extremely low.

Xu Jingming knew that this was based on historical data.

After all, which Supreme existence hadn't experienced numerous hardships and tempering?

Becoming an Origin Lifeform quickly wasn't useful.

"Junior Brother Wu Ming?" Suddenly, a voice sounded.

Xu Jingming turned his head and saw a young man in a gray robe walking over from behind. His face had some resemblance to Lu Naduo, but his aura was more profound and restrained. He was like a 'black hole,' deep and with a slight sense of oppression.

"I didn't expect to meet Junior Brother Wu Ming here." The young man in the gray robe walked over, quite enthusiastically.

Xu Jingming immediately got up and said with a smile, "Senior Brother Dark Star."

The person in front of him was Lu Naxing!

He was Lu Naduo's elder brother, a tenth-order Origin Lifeform from the Primordial Research Institute, code-named 'Dark Star,' and also the second in line to the throne of the Yuanxing civilization.

"Junior Brother Wu Ming, are you also asking someone to exchange treasures?" Lu Naxing said with a smile, "Is there anything I can help you with? I know some people in the Eternal Academy, and perhaps I can help you, Junior Brother."

"I've already asked someone for help," Xu Jingming said.

"Good, just let me know if you need anything. I'm going to see a friend," Lu Naxing said.

Xu Jingming nodded and watched Lu Naxing walk away. Lu Naxing was also here to ask someone to exchange items.

"Lu Naduo is indeed many times worse than his elder brother." Xu Jingming sat down. Lu Naxing had a good reputation in the Primordial Research Institute and was recognized as a 'genius' among the tenth-order Origin Lifeforms.

Although he wasn't as dazzling as Xu Jingming, outsiders believed that it wouldn't be difficult for Lu Naxing to reach the 'Sealed King' level. The Yuanxing civilization's royal family also had a very high opinion of him; otherwise, they wouldn't have promoted him to the second in line to the throne.

The throne heirs of the three major cosmic civilizations were also selected within the royal family. The most crucial factor in the selection was the achievements in the evolutionary path and the scientific path. The higher the achievements, the higher the ranking in general!

If one became a cosmic legend, even if they weren't the emperor, their influence within the royal family wouldn't be less than that of the emperor.

"Old Brother Wu Ming." A gentle voice sounded.

Xu Jingming looked over.

A short, fat, bald old man walked over. His smile could make people relax involuntarily. When Xu Jingming saw him, he immediately got up. "Mr. Lan Xie."

Yes, the old man in front of him was another expert Xu Jingming wanted to visit at this gathering, 'Lan Xie.' Mr. Lan Xie's contributions to the Eternal Academy were also among the top five.

"Why are you here alone?" Lan Xie sat down opposite Xu Jingming and said with a smile, "Where's Junior Brother Saka?"

"He's with Mr. Yin Xiao," Xu Jingming said.

Lan Xie pondered and looked at Xu Jingming. "You asked him for help with the exchange, and it failed?"

Xu Jingming said in surprise, "Mr. Lan Xie can even see that?"

"If the conversation went well, why would you be sitting here all alone?" Lan Xie smiled.

"But don't be angry, and don't hold a grudge against Yin Xiao. Yin Xiao's personality was much better than it is now a few years ago. It's just that in order to become a cosmic legend, he took the initiative to plunge into the abyss, and naturally his temperament changed and became somewhat chaotic and extreme. It's already quite good that he can maintain his sanity."

"Took the initiative to plunge into the abyss?" Xu Jingming asked in confusion.

"Among the human race's three strongest inheritances, our Eternal Academy's *Notes on Abyss Research* studies the abyss," Lan Xie said. "Whether it's research, learning, or visualization, we will be increasingly influenced by the depths of the abyss."

"We approach it but cannot sink into it; we must always maintain our self." Lan Xie said, "But as they get older, some tenth-order Origin Lifeforms take the initiative to sink in, just to gain stronger power. Plunging into the abyss… while still maintaining sanity, that is also a path, but it is very difficult."

"Yin Xiao is already amazing to be able to maintain his sanity." Lan Xie looked at Xu Jingming.

"Mr. Lan Xie, have you always kept your distance from the abyss?" Xu Jingming asked.

Lan Xie smiled and said, "Yes, I'm worried that if I plunge into the abyss, I won't be able to maintain my sanity. I'm a coward!"

Among the three strongest inheritances, *Primordial Star Conjecture* has relatively few aftereffects. Xu Jingming's mind power has reached the tenth level, and he has already begun to be affected by the Primordial Star.

Like Lan Xie and Yin Xiao, who were among the top five tenth-order Origin Lifeforms in the Eternal Academy, their mind power had already reached a high dimension. They had cultivated *Notes on Abyss Research* and reached a high dimension of mind power. It wasn't easy to maintain their sanity.

This was also what Saka had said: those ranked in the top five weren't easy to talk to.

"According to Senior Brother Saka, those ranked in the top five in terms of contributions to the Eternal Academy aren't easy to talk to. But this Mr. Lan Xie is very polite to me." Xu Jingming thought.

"You two are sitting together?" The burly Senior Brother Saka walked over with a smile, pulled up a chair, sat down, and took a sip from the wine glass in front of him. "Senior Brother Lan Xie, I won't hide it from you; I couldn't convince Yin Xiao. That's why I asked you for help."

"You want the scales of the Sky Python?" Lan Xie looked at Xu Jingming.

"Yes," Xu Jingming nodded.

"Alright."

It was the first time meeting Lan Xie.

"Of course, I have a request." Lan Xie looked at Xu Jingming.

Xu Jingming and Saka listened.

"I don't need any premium in terms of contributions, but I have an additional request," Lan Xie said. "I need a promise from you. In the future, without violating the laws of the Cosmic Human Alliance, and to the best of your ability, if my family, the Ziyu family, asks you for help, please help them once."

Lan Xie looked at Xu Jingming. "I don't need any written documents, just a promise from you."

"No written documents needed?" Xu Jingming was surprised.

That meant that in the future, how to do it and to what extent was entirely up to him.

"Yes." Lan Xie smiled. "I believe in the value of Junior Brother Wu Ming's promise."

"You think so highly of me?" Xu Jingming said with a surprised smile. Logically speaking, he would have agreed to a premium of 30 to 50 million contributions! Lan Xie didn't want such a large 'premium' but wanted his promise instead.

Lan Xie looked at Xu Jingming and nodded. "I trust you very much, and I've accumulated enough wealth over the years. I don't lack that bit. I'd rather buy insurance for my family. Your promise is a family insurance policy."

"Tens of millions of contributions are just icing on the cake for the Ziyu family. But my age is comparable to Yin Xiao's, and I only have a little over ten thousand years left until my lifespan ends! After I die! Wu Ming, you will still be very young, and the Ziyu family may need your help then," Lan Xie said.

"Buying an insurance policy?" Saka said with a knowing smile, "You're really thinking ahead for your family."

"Alright," Xu Jingming nodded and promised. "In the future, without violating the law, to the best of my ability, if Mr. Lan Xie's family, the Ziyu family, asks me for help, I will take action once."

"Then our transaction is settled," Lan Xie nodded with a smile.

Xu Jingming, Saka, and Lan Xie sat and chatted for more than an hour, and they chatted very happily. Afterwards, they dispersed.

He returned to Saka's personal space.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Saka, for making this so smooth," Xu Jingming said.

"Strange." Saka frowned and patted his head. "Lan Xie is unpredictable. His danger is even greater than Yin Xiao's, so I took you to see Yin Xiao first. Even if Yin Xiao is excessive, he won't hide anything. If Lan Xie wants to plot against you… you won't even know."

Saka sat on the sofa and muttered, "But looking at this transaction, I can't see how he can plot against you. A promise? There's no written document to bind you. You can go back on your word and ignore him in the future."

"He only needs a promise and there's no forced binding," Xu Jingming said. "No matter how dangerous Mr. Lan Xie may be, he was very sincere in this transaction."

"He's very sincere, so I didn't stop him from beginning to end," Saka said in confusion. "He said it was to buy an insurance policy for his family, but how could the Ziyu family's foundation collapse in tens of thousands of years?"

"Forget it, if there's really a trap, I'll just ignore him then," Saka said with a smile.

Xu Jingming nodded.

The promise that Lan Xie requested gave Xu Jingming the initiative, which was why he agreed.

In Lan Xie's personal space.

Lan Xie sat in a chair, looking at the endless abyss in front of him, which was the 'endless abyss' he had created virtually.

"Ancestor." The Ziyu family's patriarch was extremely respectful beside him. Lan Xie was the Ziyu family's only tenth-order Origin Lifeform, and the over eighty-thousand-year-old Lan Xie… was much older than anyone else in the Ziyu family.

He was also the most powerful lifeform in the history of the Ziyu family, so the Ziyu family's patriarch was naturally very respectful.

"Wu Ming from the Primordial Research Institute gave me a promise." Lan Xie handed a document to the Ziyu family's patriarch. "Archive it in the family!"

The patriarch took it and looked at it. "There's no written binding?"

"No need," Lan Xie said. "You can leave now and just archive it. Remember… only ask for his help when the family encounters difficulties and there's no other way. His temper may not be very good, and even if you make requests, don't force him."

"His temper isn't very good?" The patriarch was slightly puzzled. "Wu Ming's personality is quite good."

Xu Jingming had a good reputation among Origin Lifeforms.

"The higher the realm, the more he will be affected by the Primordial Star. His temper in the future will be different from now," Lan Xie shook his head. "You can leave."

"Yes," the patriarch immediately disappeared.

Lan Xie looked at the endless abyss in front of him alone, thinking, "He and Saka have such a good relationship, and Saka is stationed on the front lines fighting the Prison race. Is this Wu Ming the mysterious guardian of the Prison race front lines who is accumulating wealth so quickly and can come up with tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of contributions?"

"In that case, everything makes sense."